Dancing Fireflies
by Valerie Faller
Summary: Two of the demigods who fought in the war against Kronos find themselves unable to accept the horrible things that happened at their hands. The point of this is that no kid should ever have to fight in a war. The title makes more sense when you finish the story. 'T' to be safe here. Some of it may be disturbing, though I don't know what your standards for 'disturbing' are.


**Me: Hm, returning to my roots...**

**N: Your roots are in Percy Jackson-land?**

**Me: ...FF-wise, from years back.**

'Innocence'

Summary: After the Titan War, two of the campers who fought against Kronos are unable to forget the terrible things that happened at their hands. They recall everything; and though the war is over, the memories refuse to disappear.

After the Titan War, as peace slowly falls over Camp Half-Blood once again, a pair of friends sit together on the beach; as they have many times in the past year... Or was it two years now? Neither can remember anymore.

One is the blonde daughter of Aphrodite, Liana, the other is the redheaded daughter of Apollo, Feather.

While Liana seems very frightened and somewhat disturbed by the past war, and her actions in it, Feather appears on the verge of a breakdown.

Liana starts to try and help both of them in the only way that she can think of - singing.

"Guess you really did it this time

Left yourself in the war path

Lost your balance on a tightrope

Lost your mind trying to get it back...

Wasn't it easier in your lunchbox days?

Always a bigger bed to crawl into..."

"Wasn't it beautiful when you believed in everything

And everybody believed in you?" Feather picks up the song, to Liana's relief - the longest thing she's said to anyone but Rune since the end of the war.

"It's alright, just wait and see

Your string of lights is still

Bright to me, oh

Who you are is not where you've been

You're still an innocent," they sing together.

The two girls share a hug, and keep singing.

"Did some things you can't speak of," Feather sings softly.

"But at night you live it all again..."

"Wasn't it easier in your firefly-catching days?

When everything out of reach

Someone bigger brought down to you?" they sing together.

"Wasn't it beautiful, running wild 'til you fell asleep

Before the monsters caught up to you?" Feather sings wistfully.

"It's alright, just wait and see

Your string of lights is still

Bright to me, oh

Who you are is not where you've been

You're still an innocent..."

Both are close to tears as they continue.

"It's okay, life is a tough crowd

Through a war and still growing up now

Who you are is not what you did

You're still an innocent," they force themselves to continue the song.

"Time turns flames to embers," Feather sings softly again.

"You'll have new Septembers," Liana adds.

"Every one of us has messed up too..."

"Minds change like the weather," Feather sings.

"I hope you remember," Liana whispers.

"It's alright, just wait and see

Your string of lights is still

Bright to me, oh

Who you are is not where you've been

You're still an innocent

It's okay, life is a tough crowd

Through a war and still growing up now

Who you are is not what you did

You're still an innocent..."

Again the girls embrace.

"It... It feels a little less painful now," Feather whispers.

"I don't think the pain will ever go away completely," Liana confides.

"No, it'll... It'll always be there," Feather agrees. "I... I'm glad I have friends like you; and I have Rune. I love both of you; in different ways, but I do."

"I know. I love you in the same way," Liana nods. "It made the fighting more painful... Though maybe it'll make the healing easier."

"Maybe it will."

Each starts to recall the war, and the things that had happened in the thick of battle.

Usually they fought side-by-side, along with Rune.

Both of them have painful memories attained alone, however...

Liana was cornered. A simple mistake; and she was about to die because of it.

'_No_,' she thought. '_I can't die, not now. I have a camp to fight for and friends to fight alongside..._'

As the sword blow hit her, she used the only even slightly possible method of survival she could think of - playing dead. As her attacker started to leave, he found himself falling to the ground due to the poisonous arrow Liana had managed to lodge in his leg.

She'd actually forgotten about that - it wasn't a very fast-acting poison.

Perhaps her death was taking so long because it somehow got into her bloodstream?

'_Feather... Rune... Everyone, forgive me..._' was her last conscious thought, as a single tear fell from her eyes, before everything went black.

"Li? Li, wake up!"

The next thing she registered was that sentence.

Huh? ...Feather was dead now? This couldn't _possibly_ get any worse...

"She needs rest, Feather!"

Rune, too? It suddenly had... Plus, apparently you still had to sleep in the Underworld.

"Mmph... If I'm dead, let me sleep," she managed, her voice weak and quiet.

"...Li! You're _alive_!" Feather exclaimed in joy and relief - sure, the war was still raging; but her best friend was still alive.

"Fe..." Liana whispered.

"Liana... Oh, gods, I'm not leaving you like this..." Feather whispered. "Don't worry, you're not alone."

"You couldn't leave her if you-" began one of the healers, but Feather cut them off.

"Shut up. If I want to leave, I damn well _will_. ...Actually, Liana... Stay okay. Rune and I have to go help..." she murmured, looking out a window at the mess that was once Manhattan, remembering why she was fighting.

"Oh... Kay," Liana nodded, her eyes still closed.

Everything went black again, and that same scene of death haunted her nightmares until she woke again.

Feather, though now separated from Rune by the mass of soldiers, found an odd sort of advantage in her slight limp.

The enemies considered her weak.

Well, they could ponder why they were so damn wrong in Hades for all they'd done.

Feather wasn't thinking clearly; and she was lost in a kind of tranquil fury.

She used a dagger, a bow and a sword.

Perhaps the most daunting weapon she had, however, was simply her ability to speak in many of the ancient languages insults and war cries that occasionally made her opponent faint from very specific (and often rather disturbing) details.

Whenever an enemy drew close, she would draw her dagger and stab everywhere she could reach.

If they noticed and then approached at a safe distance from her dagger, she used her bow.

If they approached somewhere in the middle of the two ranges, she used the sword.

She wasn't sure of how many soldiers she had downed that day, and neither was anyone else.

When she learned of what had happened, she would be (understandably) horrified and taken aback.

For the moment, however, she continued dealing out death like cards, watching the enemy fall like dominos.

She managed to stay standing until the actual battle went up to Olympus.

That was when she fell, and Rune caught her.

And then it all went dark.

Each girl relives their most vivid and horrific memories of the last battle, this time aware that they are safe; but the painful rush of emotions still hits them both unexpectedly.

However, a second memory occurrs to Feather - a far happier one.

"...F-feather?" Rune's voice barely registered. "Are you... You awake?"

"Y-yeah," she nodded.

"It's barely over and I'm already having nightmares..." Rune sighed.

"Don't," Feather murmured. She opened her eyes, and saw he looked depressed and downcast.

That sad sparkle in his eyes... Suddenly, she realized how he must have felt during the battle.

The same way she had.

And suddenly she knew what to do.

"...What? Feather, _you_ fought those battles too..."

Amidst everything else, she caught confusion in his eyes.

"I know. And I think I'll be a mess too, come tomorrow. But for now... For now, it's okay."

She moved to his side, sitting next to him.

"It can't be... So much destruction, it _can't_ be okay..."

Feather brushed his hair out of his eyes. "For now, it is. You know why?"

"No," Rune mumbled tiredly. "Enlighten me. What's the secret?"

"_This_," she whispered in his ear before kissing him softly.

"...Yeah, that's one way to be happy," Rune agreed, a little more awake.

"Mmm. I love you. ...Will you take care of me while I'm a mess?" Feather inquired, gently resting her head on his chest.

"I'll always take care of you," Rune promised softly, kissing her again. "Love you, too. Sweet dreams, angel."

"Sweet dreams, love," Feather replied drowsily.

And both were at peace for that one night, dreaming sweet dreams of fairy tales with happy endings and trying to catch dancing fireflies.

"...Feather, you seem better, somehow..." Liana whispers.

"Flashback," Feather murmurs, by way of explanation. "A sweet memory."

"What was it, if I'm allowed to ask?"

"I finally caught my dancing firefly," Feather smiles slightly. "Who knows? Maybe this fairy tale actually _does_ have a happy ending after all."

Finally, the girls embrace a third time, at last deciding to allow themselves a small form of comfort in the aftermath of everything.

They let every tear they've been forcing themselves to hold back fall.

Tears of sadness, regret, pain, and loss... Though tears of hope, joy, and even love fall at the same time.

They wonder silently, at the same time, if some small miracle might allow for one wish to be granted.

After all, maybe it still isn't too late to go back to catching fireflies?

**Me: ...Long, by my standards. I hereby dub you a oneshot that I may expand later.**

**N: Oh-kay.**

**Me: What? I've lost the ability to take myself seriously!**

**N: _How..._?**

**Me: ...Fire Emblem Awakening...**

**N: Actually, I believe you - that game is freaking _addicting_.**

**Reviews are appreciated, but not required.**


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